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Junkyard Gem: 1988 Dodge Aries America LE Station Wagon

During the late 1970s, Chrysler appeared doomed as outdated car designs and a second catastrophic oil crisis caused by Middle Eastern conflict hammered sales. Chrysler had some successful economy cars made by Mitsubishi or based on Simca designs, but the need for an efficient, modern front-wheel-drive platform grew desperate. After a government bailout in 1979 bought some time, CEO Lee Iacocca masterminded the creation of the all-new K Platform, which hit showrooms for the 1981 model year. The first two K-Cars, the Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries, were big sales successes, and Chrysler went on building vehicles based on the platform through 1995. Here's an example of the later Aries wagon, found in a Phoenix self-service wrecking yard. The "true" K-Cars were the Aries, the Plymouth Reliant, the Chrysler LeBaron, and the Dodge 400. They have become very rare in wrecking yards today, so I honor their historical significance by documenting the ones I find. During my junkyard expeditions, I have photographed this '81 Aries wagon, this '81 Reliant wagon, this '82 Aries wagon, this '82 400 coupe, this '82 LeBaron convertible, this '83 Aries sedan, this '83 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '85 LeBaron woodie convertible, this '86 Aries sedan, this '86 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, this '86 Reliant wagon, and this '89 Reliant coupe. The early K-Cars could be purchased with optional Mitsubishi Astron 2.6-liter four-cylinder (complete with "HEMI 2.6" badging), but in 1988, the choices were down to a 93-horsepower 2.2-liter Chrysler-built four-cylinder or a 2.5-liter version of the same engine rated at 96 horses and 13 extra pound-feet of torque. This car has the 2.2. The "America LE" trim level was the only one available for the 1988 Aries, and it resulted in a fairly Spartan car. Tough, scratchy cloth upholstery and lots of hard plastic were the order of the day. The MSRP on this car started at $7,695, or about $16,770 in 2018 dollars. That's a lot of car for that kind of money. For comparison, the rear-wheel-drive (and much bigger) 1988 Pontiac Safari wagon went for nearly twice that price. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. By 1988, the Aries wagon was looking pretty old, but it was a bargain.

FCA updates 700k-vehicle recall to replace ignition switches

FCA US is revising a previously announced recall of 702,578 minivans and SUVs; now specifying that owners replace their ignition switches, rather than just a component. The campaign affects the 2008-2010 Chrysler Town & Country, 2008-2010 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2009-2010 Dodge Journey. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initially opened an investigation last summer following complaints about the ignition switches in these models. FCA US (then Chrysler Group) responded with a recall of 695,957 examples of these vehicles because the key could appear to be in the "Run" position but not be fully engaged. If it slipped out, and there was an accident, then the airbags might not deploy. The company had initially planned to install a new detent ring to fix the problem. According to the timeline in a NHTSA document (available here as a PDF), the government agency and FCA US continued their research into the problem. The automaker found that the time needed to create a new ring design and updated software would be longer than replacing the whole ignition switch. The company worked with the supplier Marquardt to negotiate an accelerated schedule to manufacture the extra replacement parts. According to NHTSA, the investigation has now been closed because of FCA's recall. Company spokesperson Eric Mayne confirms to Autoblog via email, "No additional vehicles are affected and all affected customers have already been made aware their vehicles are subject to recall." FCA US sent out an initial notification advising owners of the problem in September 2014. The company will now send out a second letter in April and will replace the parts in two phases. Repairs for affected models from the 2008 and 2009 model years will begin in April, and 2010 examples will start being fixed in August. RECALL Subject : Ignition Switch may Turn Off , 1 INVESTIGATION(S) Report Receipt Date: JUN 26, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V373000 Component(s): AIR BAGS , ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Potential Number of Units Affected: 702,578 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY 2008-2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2008-2010 DODGE JOURNEY 2009-2010 Details Manufacturer: Chrysler Group LLC SUMMARY: This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key.

2018 Dodge Durango SRT Quick Spin | The modern hot-rod wagon

I love big, overpowered SUVs. Except for Mercedes-AMG, no one makes fast wagons anymore. Models like the BMW X5 M and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S fill that niche, combining a powerful engine with copious amounts of room for cargo and passengers. These SUVs are too porky to handle well on a track and too big and wide to properly tackle a curvy backroad. But with a soft suspension and a 0-60 mph time of less than 5 seconds, they are perfect for cruising city streets and pulling away from unsuspecting Ford Mustangs and Chevy Camaros. That makes the 2018 Dodge Durango SRT perfect for the Woodward Dream Cruise. Dream Cruise is an annual car meet along Woodward Avenue, just northwest of Detroit. While literally any motorized vehicle is welcome, the street is mostly filled with American cars from the height of the domestic auto industry. For a late 20-something like myself, watching and partaking in the Dream Cruise fills me with a sense of nostalgia for a time and place that never existed for me, just like watching John Wayne in anything from "Stagecoach" to "True Grit" makes you long for horseback rides in the Old West. The Durango SRT, with a pushrod Hemi V8, 392 cubic-inch badging on the fenders and muscular styling, enhances the experience. Sure, it's not nearly as cool as Mopar stalwarts like the 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner or the 1970 Dodge Daytona, but it's filled with the same sense of purpose. Dip into the throttle and listen to that eight-cylinder chorus erupt with a sound that's wholly unique. Not even the pushrod V8s from GM snarl and crack like this 6.4-liter Hemi. It's the same sort of sound you'll hear from countless Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth products during Dream Cruise. You don't need to go fast to get the full understanding of the Durango SRT's purpose. Ignore the SRT-tuned suspension and heavy steering. What you really want to do is open the SRT menu and adjust the custom settings. Set the engine and transmission in track mode and put everything else in the street setting. You'll get all the available power and straight-line performance combined with a nice, cushy ride. We're not sure what FCA has planned for the future. While the industry moves toward electrification and autonomous ride-sharing vehicles, the automaker is pouring money into vehicles like the Durango SRT, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Future prospects look hazy.